Combination tent-frame and cot



No. 627,|00. Patented June 20, I899.

Income.

COMBINATION TENT FRAME AND COT.

(Application filed Oct. 11, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-$haat l.

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No.7 627,|00. Patented June 20, I899. L. CONN.

COMBINATION TENT FRAME AND COT.

(Application filed Oct. 11, 1898.)

2 Shad -Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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a side elevation of the folding frame with cots PATENT OFFICE.

. LEWIS CONN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

COMBINATION TENT-FRAME AND CO'l'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed October 11, 1898.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS CONN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin a Combination Tent-Frame and Cot, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a folding frame for tents with which two or more cots are combined in such a way as to be foldable with the frame and capable of adjustment for use and also capable of being folded within the frame when the latter is set up.

The invention comprises a tent-frame having jointed and folding uprights, a rigid connecting ridge or ridge-pole, and folding cots applied to the uprights adjustably and also capable of being extended for use within the tent and of being folded up within and with the frame, all as I will proceed now particularly to set forth and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken out, of a wall-tent supplied with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the frame of the tent of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view showing the folding cots extended. Fig. 4 is in the folded position, and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of one of the folding cots in folded position.

I have shown my invention as applied to a United States army regulation wall-tent with flies, but wish not to be understood as limiting my invention to any particular kind of tent.

a may represent the flies, and b the tent proper. The uprights c are divided and each provided with a metallic joint d, which may be in the form of an umbrella-joint.

e is the ridge or ridge-pole, and f the corner or angle pieces to join the uprights and the ridge. These corner or angle pieces may be castings and may be provided with the spindles g, or the uprights and the ridge may be joined by other means or in any other way; butIpreferto permanently unite the uprights and the ridge for purposes of folding.

The uprights are provided with the joints cl at" different altitudes, so as to enable the Patent No. 627,100, dated June 20,1899.

Serial No. 693,220. (No model.)

lower portion of one upright to be folded over upon the other upright and parallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 4..

h is a bar or rail having metallic loops 1' at its ends shaped to correspond with the shape of the uprights and in such way that the said bar or rail may he slid up and down upon the said uprights.

j j are side bars or rails which are connected with the central bar or rail h by means of the toggles 7r; 1, which are pivoted, respectively, to the said rails. One member of the toggles 7c is extended at to receive one end of operating-cords m, and one end of the toggles l is extended to receive pulleys Z, over which the said cords are passed and then returned toward the other end of the rail h. Pull upon these cords will serve to extend the toggles and project the rails j from the rail h, and when the rails j j are supplied with cot-bottoms h, of canvas or duck or other flexible material, the said bottom will be stretched out taut by the continued pull upon the said cords m, and then the ends of the cords may be made fast by tying them about the uprights, as indicated in Fig. 1. I prefer to employ two such cot-frames in each tent, one being arranged above the other, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in order to support the said cots the uprights may be provided with hushed holesnto receive cross-pins 0,which for safety may be secured to the rails h by chains or other fastenings 0.

The lower cot-frame is provided with pivoted legs 19, which are connected with longitudinally-slotted braces 19, both the legs and the braces being pivoted to the sides of the rails j and capable of being extended, as in Figs. 1 and 2, and also of being folded up parallel with the sides of the said rails, as shown in Figs. 4. and 5. The upper cot has its legs q preferably of greater length than the legs of the lower cot, and these legs q are also pivoted to the side rails j of said upper cot and are provided with longitudinally-slotted bracesq, likewise pivoted to the-side rails j of said' upper cot. Thus the legs and their braces of the upper cot may also be folded within the width or height of the rails j and parallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 4. The side rails j of the lower cot are provided with sockets r to receive the feet of the legs q of the upper cot.

Of course the legs of the two cots, when two are employed, will be made of such height as to give the lower cot the proper elevation from the ground and the upper cot the proper elevation above the lower cot. I

It will be observed that by this construction berths are provided for four persons, and it will also be observed that if only the lower cot is to be used the upper may be folded and hung up in the top of the tent under the ridge, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the thus-suspended cot may be held in place by passing its pins 0 through suitable holes 8, provided therefor in the upper portions of the uprights.

When the cots are not to be used, both may be folded and stowed under the ridge-pole, and when the tent is taken down the cots are folded, as in Fig. 4, and the tent-frame folded about the said cots, and the cords of the cots may be used to wrap the parts together and prevent them from coming apart.

WVhile I have shown and described the toggles and cords as the medium for expanding and extending the cots, I wish to be understood as not limiting the invention to those particular means,as otherdevices may be used for accomplishing the same purpose, the gist of the invention in this respect being the provision of foldable cots, which are in the nature of an attachment to the tent-frame and preferably form a part thereof.

As is obvious, when so desired, the cots may be entirely separated from the uprights.

The cot-bottoms may be applied to the rails in any suitable manner, either permanently or detachably.

It will be observed that inasmuch as the inner ends of the central rails abut against the inner edges of the uprights it follows that I when the cots are in position of use the central rails serve as braces for the uprights, and thereby prevent said uprightsfrom sagging, bending, or displacement under the weight of the occupants of the cots.

Any number of holes may be placed in the uprights in order to provide for a consider able range of adjustment of the cots. These holes may be placed as close as three or four inches apart. The cots may have knobs applied to their rails to receive the cot-bottoms, and such bottoms may have eyelets to engage such knobs, thus to provide for the ready placing and removal of such bottoms. The legs and braces may be differently arranged and to fold in any desirable manner. These and other variations I esteem as within the scope of my invention.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A tent-frame and cots, comprising uprights and a ridge, a central rail adjustable upon said uprights, side rails connected with the central rail and adapted to be extended for use and folded about the said central rail when not in use, substantially as described.

2. A combined folding tent-frame and cots, comprising jointed uprights and a ridge, central rails adjustable upon said uprights, side rails foldably connected with said central rails, and folding legs applied to said side rails, substantially as described.

3. A combined tent-frame and cots, comprising foldable uprights and a ridge, central rails adj ustably applied to said uprights, side rails movably connected to the said central rails, cot-bottoms applied to the said central rails and side rails, and means to support sets of rails one above the other, substantially as described.

4. A folding cot, adapted for use in connec tion with the frame of a tent, comprising a central rail and two parallel side rails, means to connect the said side rails with the central rail and capable of supporting the side rails extended from the said central rail and also when folded against it, and foldable legs applied to the side rails, substantially as de scribed.

5. A combined tent-frame and cots, com prising jointed uprights, the joint of one upright being arranged a greater distance from the end of the upright than the other joint by the diameter or thickness of the upright, a ridge, and folding cots applied to said uprights and adapted to be folded and moved up under the ridge and permit the folding of the uprights one upon the other on the outside or under side of the folded cots, substantially as described.

6. Acombinedfoldable'tentframeandcots, comprising jointed uprights, a ridge, central cot-rails applied to the said uprights,side rails, toggles connecting the side rails and central rails, and operating-cords engaging the said toggles and adapted to extend the side rails and cots and to hold them in such extended position by engagement with the uprights, and also adapted to bind the frame and cots when they are folded, substantially as described.

'7. A combined-tent-frame and cots, comprising jointed uprights, a ridge connected therewith,folding cots applied to the uprights, and means to support the said cots in position for use and also to support them in folded condition under the ridge when not in use, substantially as described.

8. A combined tent-frame and cots, comprising uprights and a ridge, a central rail adjustable upon said uprights, side rails connected with the central rail and adapted to be extended for use and folded about the said central rail when not in use, the said central rail having its ends in contact with the uprights and thereby staying said uprights against the weight of the occupants of the cots, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of October, A. D. 1898.

LEWIS CONN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES A. Orro, GEORGE W. 'STEADMAN. 

